Dystopian Sounds with Motion To Strike

Music

Though Motion To Strike is a relatively fresh project, members Sasha Rajković and Luka Kurjan are no stranger to one another.

The Croatian producers have previously collaborated under the guise of Lab Personnel, a Zagreb-based record label and collective who take an improvisational approach to synthesis, and individually have been beavering away at their solo projects: Sasha under his Zarkoff moniker and as part of Sumerian Fleet and NeuGrau, and Luka as Man Of Cloth and Buzdovan.

Their debut as Motion To Strike fell into the lap of our sub-label, Human Endeavour, and subsequently found its way into the world in June of this year. Self-described as “the sound of privileged cynicism walking towards the gallows of late capitalism, doing a slight jig”, ‘Into Exile’ is a dystopian soundtrack for the end of days that pairs gripping spoken word with rumbling, synthesized EBM and techno.

As well-travelled explorers of the dark and desolate corners of electronic music, we invited the pair to select a few of their favourite “hellish” sounds and give each other a bit of light-hearted grief while they’re at it…

Into Exile is out now on Human Endeavour Records.

Topics

Human Endeavour Records Lab personnell Motion To Strike Ransom Note Records Zarkoff

LISTEN

Goblin & Giorgio Gaslini - Profonodo Rosso

Sasha: Horror soundtracks are generally a wonderful genre, this is one of the best I’ve ever heard. It makes murder, injury and slicing of flesh even more appealing than it is.

Luka: First heard it in a Justice song, could never associate it to a horror movie.

Goblin & Giorgio Gaslini - Profonodo Rosso

Sasha: Horror soundtracks are generally a wonderful genre, this is one of the best I’ve ever heard. It makes murder, injury and slicing of flesh even more appealing than it is.

Luka: First heard it in a Justice song, could never associate it to a horror movie.
Baba Roga - Electrified Pig

Sasha: Why does this have only 100 views? Real nice garage electropunk. Especially love the guitar playing on this one. And the fact that the vocal is not centred, but panned to the left, that’s fun.

Luka: What I love about this track is the cover. It reminds me of my childhood and the boogieman. And, yeah the lyrics are so deep.
Stallion's Stud - Instrumental Aria

Sasha: This guy should really be singing in a hard rock band. Not sure about how his voice fits with this music. Or any kind of music. However, he makes up for it with stage antics, included is a photo of him (I believe so, not 100% sure) singing while doing a sort of a headstand holding the mic with his teeth. Very expressive.

Luka: That what Sasha said, but it just proves that not all bad things are bad.
Bronze - People Watching People

Sasha: The drums make this special, it could have been a regular darkwave track, really cool they made it this way. And the voice is wonderful and the lyrics seem worthwhile. Absolutely love this. Never heard it before.

Luka: I take this one pretty seriously… No joking around when watching people.
Bound Of Endogamy - Junktion Rivers

Sasha: When I see a Lux Records release, I always assume it’s something I’ll like even before hearing it. I love how the synth melodies weave here, it’s quirky and macabre at the same time, bound together by the dispassionate vocal. I was hoping Luka would make a crappier selection, giving me more space to be rude :/

Luka: Everything sounds better in French.
Praga Khan - Brakfast in Vegas

Sasha: What a simple and catchy 303 bassline. Also corny lyrics, bad pronunciation, the occasional wrong note, the telephone effect on the vocal, it’s a blast. The video is fantastic. Missed this banger back in the day, only learned about it recently!

Luka: Cheap version of Shamen 🙂
Coil - Ostia (The Death of Pasolini)

Sasha: A more serious entry. What a dignified and sinister atmosphere. Fitting to describe a murder of a great man.

Luka: I really do not know. Is Saša a romantic or does he listen to this when he goes hiking?
Hiele & Kinsella - The Third Summer of Love

Sasha: This one sparks jealousy, I wish I were capable of making something of this calibre. The sound design is mesmerising, the poem sharp and witty, the vocal delivery unpretentious, but detached and disturbing. A bit like T. S. Eliot reading his own work. I resonate to this.

Luka: C’mon, we can do it.
Zoviet * France - Ram

Sasha: The speech at the beginning of this piece is something that formed my internal monologue. I first heard it as a teenager and I knew it by heart and I often recited it to myself. I don’t know what it feels like being possessed by a demon but this seems to cause a feeling a mild possession. And then the sonic dissipation that follows. I should listen to Zoviet France more!

Luka: First I thought this is a really good comic relief, but then I heard this.

Sasha: Oh yeah, there’s that, too.. Who has a rainbow inside their mind? Jim Jones or the victims? Before or after the injecting? So many questions…
Thorofon - Riot Dictator

Sasha: Knee in the gut and an elbow in the chin, that’s the way. Why march when we can riot? Ok, the answer to that is obvious, we are pacified and content, besides, the enemy is armed and dangerous. But still, it’s good to hear a revolutionary scream every now and then. Just remember it’s not about breaking a shop window to steal that PS5, ok?

Luka: Or, just do it!